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No longer just all about Steve as he marries his gem of a bride

Sapphire Wang and Steven Birt met a few years ago at a networking event called Beauty and the Banker. Although Steven was not a banker, he did find his beauty. And she was only there because her colleagues insisted she accompany them.

Sapphire, a client relations manager born in Beijing but educated in Hong Kong, and Steven, a British solicitor who came to Hong Kong 17 years ago, registered their marriage in March. They celebrated on April 6 on the Thai resort island of Phuket, where 50 guests witnessed them exchanging their vows.

'I wasn't really a fan of networking events, but my colleagues asked me to go with them, so I tagged along. But it turned out Steven had been to the event before hunting [for a girlfriend],' Sapphire said, laughing.

Steven introduced himself, but the response he got left him momentarily speechless. 'Oh, Steve,' Sapphire said. 'Did you watch the movie All About Steve?' They nevertheless got over that hiccup and Sapphire was left with a good impression of Steven. 'There was definitely chemistry going on between us. Among all the other guys who were there, Steven wasn't being too touchy or showy. I could tell he was a good guy,' she said.

The following day, Steven e-mailed Sapphire to say hello. He e-mailed her again the next day asking her if she would accompany him to an event the following Saturday. On that morning, Steven phoned Sapphire and they talked for more than an hour, even though they were practically strangers. 'The conversation flowed so naturally that we both felt very comfortable talking about ourselves, our thoughts and our families,' she said.

On that first date, Sapphire had to leave early. As she was about to go, Steven kissed her, and it was the start of something special. 'That was a really good kiss. Now, when I think back, it feels as if we were in a movie. If it was not love at first sight, it definitely was at first kiss,' she said.

Last July, the couple went to Europe for a holiday. They spent a week with Steven's family in England before going to Venice.

On the night they arrived in the Italian city, Steven took Sapphire to St Mark's Square, where he read her a poem he had written. As he did so, he got down on one knee and proposed. 'The lighting in the square was stunning and musicians were playing. It was so beautiful, and when he popped the question we were both in tears,' Sapphire said.

Steven later told her that he had first visited Venice more than a decade earlier as a backpacker. He had thought at the time that one day he would propose to the woman he loved in the square. Although he has been to Italy many times since, he never went back to Venice until the day he proposed to Sapphire.

'It didn't take too long for me to realise that Sapphire was someone special,' he said. 'Her intelligence and vivaciousness shone through every time we met, and the relationship progressed so smoothly. When our summer trip to Europe was being planned, I knew we would be heading to Venice.'

Sapphire said she gradually came to the conclusion that Steven was the right man for her. 'I'm very, very happy spending time with him, and I like the person I am when I'm with him,' she said.

She said Steven loved her as a woman and spoiled her like a little girl. 'It's difficult to say what I like most about him, because it's the whole package that attracts me. When I am thinking about him, I feel happy,' she said.

The couple spent their honeymoon in France and Monaco.

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